As more information is revealed about the upcoming Hidden Treasure of Area Zero DLC for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet, players are starting to get a better look at what they can expect from the expansion. The latest trailer showed off more of the new lands of Kitakami and Blueberry Academy that players will explore in The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk, along with some of the mons returning to Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. More information was also revealed about The Teal Mask's Loyal Three trio, including their unique new ability Toxic Chain.
The trio of Okidogi, Munkidori, and Fezandipiti were referred to as the Loyal Three in this latest trailer, having been said to help protect the land of Kitakami from an evil ogre, likely referring to Ogerpon. This tidbit of lore lines up with the inspiration for these mons coming from the Japanese folk tale of Momotaro who battled an island of ogre-like oni with a dog, monkey, and pheasant as companions. However, even more interesting is the new gameplay information shared on the official Pokemon website that reveals this trio of mons are introducing a new ability to the game.
How Toxic Chain Works in Pokemon Scarlet and Violet
A Pokemon's ability can often make or break its overall strength in battle, and it seems like the Loyal Three's ability Toxic Chain has the potential to be quite strong. This ability has a chance to activate whenever one of these mons hits an opponent with a move, and when activated, causes the opponent to become badly poisoned. The badly poisoned status is typically granted through the move Toxic and depletes an increasing amount of the afflicted mon's HP at the end of each turn, meaning it can quickly KO the creature if not dealt with swiftly.
Toxic Chain offers a double threat of being able to hit an opposing mon with a damaging attack with the chance of inflicting the badly poisoned status without needing to use Toxic. The image shown on the official Pokemon website depicts Fezandipiti using Air Slash on a Meowscarada and badly poisoning it through the activation of Toxic Chain's effect. Past abilities like Static and Effect Spore offered the chance to inflict a status condition on an attacking mon when hit with a physical move, but Toxic Chain's ability for the user to deal a two-for-one combo of damage and the chance for one of the best status effects in the game is a game-changer.
Not only is Toxic Chain a powerful new ability, but it might reveal more about the Loyal Three than initially thought. With Toxic Chain inflicting the badly poisoned status, it's very likely that each of these three mons has the Poison typing as one of their types. While there has been no direct confirmation of these mons' typings yet, each one possessing this ability is a likely sign that they are at least part Poison type, which would also fit with their designs each containing a similar pink chain. Additionally, it's possible that Fezandipiti could be a Poison/Flying type given it's shown using the Flying-type move Air Slash.
Depending on what the other types, stat distributions, and move pools these new mons have, the Loyal Three could potentially be useful competitive battlers with a deadly ability like Toxic Chain to support them. Poison types are generally useful in the meta for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet since they are super effective against the overpowered Fairy type that typically dominates VGC battles. It is interesting that the ability for the Loyal Three has been revealed before their typing, which could suggest their type combos play a greater role in the story of The Teal Mask that Game Freak and The Pokemon Company are not yet ready to reveal.
Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are available for Nintendo Switch.
